Messalonskee and Windham will play for state soccer titles for the first time when they meet for the Class A championship today at Falmouth High School.
Both teams topped banner seasons by reaching the final, including knocking off the defending regional champion in the playoffs. Messalonskee beat Bangor in the Eastern A semifinals, while Windham beat Scarborough in the Western A final.
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“They sound pretty similar to us in a lot of ways.” Messalonskee coach Tom Sheridan said. “They like to play possession soccer and have some excellent strikers.”
The similarities don’t end there. Both teams have Eagles as mascots and two of the biggest stars in the game, Messalonskee stopper Chris Hall and Windham goalie Dana King, are first cousins.
“Their goalie is one of the best in the state if not the best in the state,” Sheridan said.
Not only is Messalonskee playing for a Class A soccer title for the first time, it’s also the first time any team from the Oakland school has played in a Class A boys championship game. The Eagles shared a Class C football title in 1975 and won a Class B baseball championship in 1973.
Windham (15-2-0) features a pair of talented strikers in senior Bryan Soucy and junior Marc Reynolds. Soucy, who transferred from Oak Hill after his sophomore year, scored 12 regular-season goals and the game-winner in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Scarborough.
Messalonskee (13-2-2) counters with Nate DelGiudice, who scored in Wednesday’s regional final against Hampden, and Ukrainian exchange student Alex Runser. Hall, who shared the regular-season goal lead with DelGiudice at 12, scored twice in Wednesday’s win.
Both teams rely heavily on their center midfielders. Windham’s Robbie Lentine leads the team in goals with 20 and is the team’s catalyst, according to Sheridan. Messalonskee relies heavily on sophomore Wyatt Omsberg, who had two assists against Bangor.
“Omsberg is probably the X-factor in this game,” Sheridan said. “He’s becoming one of the best kids in the state.”
Messalonskee goalkeeper Zach Sutherland set a school record with 11 shutouts this season, while King recorded nine.
“The keys for us is to do what we’ve done to get here,” Sheridan said. “Work possessions and play strong defensively. The big thing about this team is they play as a single unit.”
Gary Hawkins — 621-5638
ghawkins@centralmaine.com
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